Advice for All
Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black poet of the twentieth century. During his life many thought that he was a voice of the African-American people and a prime example of the magnificence of the Harlem Renaissance. This idea is evident in almost all his poems including "Mother to Son". This poem not only shows a relationship between a mother and a son, but also illustrates a connection between Langston Hughes and African-Americans.
"Mother to Son" is the obvious poem about a mother giving advice to her son. The poem starts out with the mother telling her son that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair" (line 2). Here the metaphor of a "crystal stair" is being used to convey what the mother's life has been like. The "crystal stair" represents a life of glamour and magnificence. The mother is telling her son that there is no glamour in her life.
English:
Langston Hughes, novelist and poet, photographed b...
English: "Today I sang a concert of Langston Hughe...She says "It's had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and placed with no carpet on the floor--Bare" (line 3-7). This represents the hardships that she has had to go through. There have been obstacles in her life that she has had to overcome. She also describes her life as being "bare". She feels as though her life has been plain and there is really nothing in it. In this first section on the poem, the mother simply is describing to her son what her life has been like.
Although this poem in called "Mother to Son", it also shows a relationship between Hughes and all African-Americans. This poem can also be interpreted as advice from Hughes to African-Americans. The first section can be described in almost the same way as that of...